“I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Gavin had to smile at the mix of concern and intrigue on Sabine’s face. He was excited about the prospect of what he had planned, but he also enjoyed watching her twist herself into knots trying to figure out what he was doing. She hated not knowing what was going on, which made him all the more determined to surprise her.
“Really?” Sabine turned away, feigning disinterest and watching Jared play with the bubbles.
It had been a couple days since she’d met his family. Things seemed to be going well on all fronts. Edmund said the custody and other legal paperwork should be finalized any day now. Gavin and his legal team were signing off on the merger agreement with Exclusivity Jetliners next week. Roger Simpson’s son had finally stopped his loud protests about the acquisition, and things were moving forward.
Everything was going to plan, and Gavin wanted to celebrate the best way he knew how—an exhilarating flight and a luxurious weekend on the beach. For the first time in his life, he wanted to share that experience with someone else. He wanted Sabine beside him as he soared through the clouds and buried his toes in the sand. He just had to talk her into going along with it, which would be harder than securing an Exclusivity Jetliners jet and reserving a private beachfront bungalow in Bermuda on short notice.
“When you go home tonight, I want you to pack for a long weekend away.”
Her head snapped back to look at him, a frown pulling down the corners of her pink lips. “I have to work this weekend, Gavin. I’ve already taken off too much time from the store. I can’t go anywhere.”
“Yes, you can,” he said with a wide smile. Did she really think he would make a suggestion like this without having every detail handled? He ran an international shipping empire; he could manage taking her away for the weekend. “The lovely Adrienne and I spoke about my plans at dinner while you were in the ladies’ room. She seemed very enthusiastic about it. You have the next three days off. She told me to tell you to have a good time and not to worry about anything.”
Red rushed to Sabine’s pale cheeks as her brow furrowed and she started to sputter. “What? You—y-you just went to my boss and made arrangements without asking me? Seriously? Gavin, you can’t just make decisions like this and leave me out of them.”
“Relax,” he said, running a soothing hand over her bare shoulder. She was wearing a sleeveless blouse in a bright kelly green that made her eyes darken to the color of the oak leaves overhead. It was almost the same shade as when she looked at him with desire blazing in her eyes. “I’m not trying to take over your life. I’m just trying to take you on a little surprise getaway. You wouldn’t do it if I didn’t twist your arm.”
His fingertips tingled as they grazed over her skin, rousing a need inside him that was inappropriate for the park. He hadn’t made love to Sabine since they went to his apartment. She might have her concerns, but he was determined to take her to a tropical location where he could make love to her for hours, uninterrupted.
He wasn’t sure whether it was his words or his touch, but the lines between her brows eased up. With a heavy sigh, she turned her attention back to the playground. “What will we do about Jared? You haven’t mentioned him coming with us.”
It was all handled. “My parents have volunteered to keep him for the weekend. They’re quite excited about the prospect, actually.”
Sabine’s lips twisted as she tried, and failed, to hold in her concerns. “Your parents? The ones who left you with nannies, refused to let you get dirty or be loud or do anything remotely childlike? I don’t see that going very well, to be perfectly honest.”
Gavin shrugged. What was the worst that could happen? His parents had all the resources in the world at their fingertips. They could manage any contingency, even if it meant breaking down and hiring in someone to help them for the weekend. “I think it will be fine. This is completely different. From what I hear, being a grandparent has a different set of rules. They were distracted by work and responsibilities when I was a kid. Now, they’ve got nothing but time, cash and two years of indulging to catch up on. Worst-case scenario, we come home to a spoiled-rotten brat.”
A soft chuckle escaped Sabine’s lips as she turned back to the playground again. He followed her line of sight to the patch of grass where Jared and another little boy were chasing bubbles and giggling hysterically.
She was a great mother. She worried about their son and his welfare every second of the day and had done so for two straight years all on her own. A mother’s protective nature never really went away, but Sabine needed a break. A weekend trip wouldn’t hurt anything. In fact, she might come home refreshed and be a better parent for it.